Catholic Treasury Network
Part IIIa SupplementMatrimonyQuestion 51

Error as an Impediment to Marriage

  1. An error concerned with the persons or the particularsof a marriage is a lack of knowledge in one or both of the partiesto the contract, and therefore it is a hindrance to consent; forconsent is a knowing acceptance of a situation; one cannotenter upon a free agreement without sufficient knowledge.

  2. Yet an error which can render a marriage void must bean error in essentials. If a man marries the wrong twin,being assured deceivingly that it is the right one, there is nomarriage. But if a man marries a woman who has falsely informed himabout her age, or fortune, or nationality, the marriage stands.

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Full Summa Text · III Suppl., Q. 51
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